They incorporated the sounds of string ensembles, vocoders and dub echos into rock songs, thereby creating a very sophisticated studio version of rock. The musical content of ELO songs often went far beyond usual chord structures, mixing pop songwriting with classical romanticism and synthesized sounds. The band claim that their music ‘picks up where The Beatles left off.’
Formed in 1970 by Roy Wood, Jeff Lynne and Bev Bevan (the remaining members of the 1960s rock group The Move). The band used cellos, violin, horns and woodwinds to give their music a classical sound. This was an idea Roy Wood initially had while with The Move, to take rock music in a new direction. In 1970 when Carl Wayne left the The Move, Jeff Lynne, front man with fellow Brum band Idle Race, responded to Wood’s second invitation to join the line-up, with the lure of starting the new band. To help finance the fledgling project, two more Move albums were released during the recording of their eponymous first album in 1971 which produced the UK hit 10538 Overture. In the US this album was released with the mistaken title of No Answer, due to a mix-up with an uncompleted telephone call to the American label and subsequent secretarial message.
However, tensions soon surfaced between Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne. With most of the media attention focused on Roy Wood, differences in musical direction, and a disastrous first live outing, it was no surprise when the band went through the first of its many line-up changes as Wood took Hugh McDowell and Bill Hunt with him to form Wizzard. Despite the music press’s predictions that the band would fold without Wood, Jeff Lynne stepped up to lead the band, with Bevan remaining on drums, bassist Richard Tandy switching to moog synthesizer, Michael d’Albuquerque on bass, Mike Edwards, Colin Walker (cello) and Wilfred Gibson replacing Steve Woolam on violin. They released ELO 2 in 1973, from which came their first U.S. chart hit, a hugely elaborate version of the Chuck Berry classic Roll Over Beethoven. After their second album, violinist Gibson was dismissed and replaced by Mik Kaminski. They also released On the Third Day in 1973, with Mike Edwards playing all the cello parts due to Colin Walker leaving the band. Later that same year saw the return of Hugh McDowell, who had jumped ship the year previous, to replace cellist Colin Walker.
In 1974 Lynne hired a thirty-piece orchestra, choir and Louis Clark, then began work on the next LP Eldorado, A Symphony, a concept album about dreams, scoring their first U.S. Top Ten hit with Can’t Get It Out Of My Head in 1975. Eldorado would become ELO’s first gold album.
After the release of Eldorado, bassist and vocalist Kelly Groucutt and cellist Melvyn Gale joined, replacing de Albuquerque and Edwards respectively.
Don't Bring Me Down
Elo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You got me thinking that I'm wasting my time
Don't bring me down
No, no, no, no, no
Ooh-ooh-hoo
I'll tell you once more before I get off the floor
Don't bring me down
I'm telling you, it's got to be the end
Don't bring me down
No, no, no, no, no
Ooh-ooh-hoo
I'll tell you once more before I get off the floor
Don't bring me down
Don't bring me down, grroosss!
Don't bring me down, grroosss!
Don't bring me down, grroosss!
Don't bring me down
What happened to the girl I used to know?
You let your mind out somewhere down the road
Don't bring me down
No, no, no, no, no
Ooh-ooh-hoo
I'll tell you once more before I get off the floor
Don't bring me down
You're always talking 'bout your crazy nights
One of these days, you're gonna get it right
Don't bring me down
No, no, no, no, no
Ooh-ooh-hoo
I'll tell you once more before I get off the floor
Don't bring me down
Don't bring me down, grroosss!
Don't bring me down, grroosss!
Don't bring me down, grroosss!
Don't bring me down
You're looking good, just like a snake in the grass
One of these days, you're gonna break your glass
Don't bring me down
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
Ooh-ooh-hoo
I'll tell you once more before I get off the floor
Don't bring me down
You got me shaking, got me running away
You got me crawling up to you everyday
Don't bring me down
No, no, no, no, no
Ooh-ooh-hoo
I'll tell you once more before I get off the floor
Don't bring me down, down, down, down, down, down
I'll tell you once more before I get off the floor
Don't bring me down
The lyrics to ELO's song "Don't Bring Me Down" are a plea from the singer to their partner to stop bringing them down with their behavior. The verses describe the partner as being selfish and always talking about their own interests, while neglecting the singer's needs. The chorus repeats the phrase "Don't bring me down" as a plea for the partner to stop their negative behavior.
In the first verse, the singer expresses feeling like they are going crazy and wasting their time because of their partner's actions. They want their partner to stop before they ruin their relationship. In the second verse, the singer accuses their partner of neglecting them to spend time with their "fancy friends," leading to the conclusion that it's time to end the relationship.
The bridge suggests that the partner used to be someone different, but has changed over time. The third verse describes how the partner is always talking about their "crazy nights," but the singer predicts that eventually, the partner will get what's coming to them. The final verse warns the partner not to continue their negative behavior, or else they will eventually suffer the consequences.
Overall, "Don't Bring Me Down" is a song about a relationship where one partner is dragging the other down with their negative behavior. The singer is pleading with their partner to stop before it's too late and the relationship ends.
Line by Line Meaning
You got me running, going out of my mind
You have me feeling restless and uncertain
You got me thinking that I'm wasting my time
You have me questioning the usefulness of my efforts
Don't bring me down
Please do not discourage or upset me
I'll tell you once more before I get off the floor
I will remind you once again before I give up
You wanna stay out with your fancy friends
You prefer to spend time with your social circle
I'm telling you, it's got to be the end
I am informing you that this cannot continue
Don't bring me down, grroosss!
Do not let me down in a disgusting way
What happened to the girl I used to know?
What has changed in the person I used to be close to?
You let your mind out somewhere down the road
You have lost your focus or perspective along the way
You're always talking 'bout your crazy nights
You frequently boast about your wild adventures
One of these days, you're gonna get it right
Someday, you will succeed or improve
You're looking good, just like a snake in the grass
You may appear attractive, but you are deceitful
One of these days, you're gonna break your glass
One day, your recklessness will lead to your downfall
You got me shaking, got me running away
You have me feeling intimidated and fleeing from your presence
You got me crawling up to you everyday
You have me constantly seeking your approval or attention
Don't bring me down, down, down, down, down, down
Please do not depress me
Contributed by Jasmine W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@The_Eldest_Millenial
Fun facts:
*A common mondegreen in the song is the perception that, following the title line, Lynne shouts "Bruce!". In the liner notes of the ELO compilation Flashback and elsewhere, Lynne has explained that he is singing a made-up word, "Grooss," which some have suggested sounds like the German expression "Gruß." After the song's release, so many people had misinterpreted the word as "Bruce" that Lynne actually began to sing the word as "Bruce" for fun at live shows.
*"Don't Bring Me Down" is the band's second-highest-charting hit in the UK where it peaked at number 3] and their biggest hit in the United States, peaking at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also charted well in Canada (number 1) and Australia (number 6). This was the first song by ELO not to include a string section.
*The drum track is in fact a tape loop, coming from "On the Run" looped and slowed down.
*The song ends with the sound of a door slamming. According to producer Jeff Lynne, this was a metal fire door at Musicland Studios where the song was recorded.
*The song was dedicated to the NASA Skylab space station, which re-entered the Earth's atmosphere and burned up over the Indian Ocean and Western Australia on 11 July 1979.
*On 4 November 2007, Lynne was awarded a BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc) Million-Air certificate for "Don't Bring Me Down" for the song having reached two million airplays.
#DontBringMeDown
@bonjoviwankenobi8533
That opening was
EXTRA T H I C C
@Mastermo-fi6bv
JoviBonJon THUNDER THIGHS
@zenix9313
Thiccccccc
@setMaddy
I love t h i c c but it might be a little too thick...
@damanyocum149
Ultra PAWG 😁🤩
@ericwasinger8386
Agreed.
@r.a.4795
My boyfriend in 1980 had a Chevy Chevelle SS and we went to church camp in that car in 1980. He jammed this song and Boston, More than a Feeling as we traveled over Transmountain Road in El Paso headed to New Mexico for church camp. I will never forget it. Fast forward to 2012, we reconnected on Facebook and married. He died in 2019 after a double lung transplant gave him 4 extra years of life. He served 22 years in the US Navy. I loved this man from the age of 14 and ELO will aways be about me and Jeffrey Allen Hoagland.
@youresoakinginit2113
So sorry for your loss.
Yes Music has a visceral effect on our feelings. Kind of like scents/aromas... an orange blossom or a loaf of garlic bread. We save those experiences throughout our lives and they surface on their own when looking back gives us a good feeling. I hope you remember the good times fondly, and I wish you peace.♡
@r.a.4795
Thank you for your kind words! It is so bittersweet.
@lindafranco7489
❤️🙏